22. We Were All Beginners Once
WE WERE ALL BEGINNERS ONCE
AIDEN
When I walk in the door at dancing, my subconscious narrows in on Tara immediately.
She’s trying to practice the routine we’ve been learning with one of the other men, Anthony, who is completely useless.
Tara is laughing while Anthony tries to lead her into a spin, but he’s stepping forward when he should step backwards, and it takes all my self control not to take over and show her how a proper partner should lead.
I do my best to swallow down the jealousy that is clawing its way up my throat by averting my gaze. While I search the room for a distraction, I find Sylvia watching me, a little smile playing across her lips while she raises an eyebrow and flicks her eyes towards Tara before looking back at me.
Feeling myself blush, I’m relieved when Chantel appears before me. But the relief is short-lived when she slides her hand up my arm and squeezing my bicep.
“Hey, I was wondering when you were going to get here. I want to get a good dance in before I have to take the losers through their paces,” she murmurs in my ear .
“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? We were all beginners once,” I reply, trying to remain polite when all I really want to do is shake her hand off me.
“True. I guess it’s been so long I forget not everyone can just naturally move like us.”
I don’t know how to respond to that rather over the top assessment of our abilities.
While she’s a very competent dancer, it’s not like she’s the best I’ve ever seen.
And I certainly wouldn’t have described myself as having natural moves when I first started out.
Pretty sure I almost broke Sarah’s toes frequently before I finally got the hang of it all.
Against my better judgement, I allow Chantel to lead me out to the centre of the hall before leading her into the first few steps of the routine.
It’s not an overly complicated routine, so I add in a few steps to make it more interesting for both of us.
Gradually, I become more aware of several sets of eyes on us and try not to let myself grow self conscious when I see Tara step away from Anthony to watch while I lead Chantel into the final dip.
“Excellent work!” Danika exclaims once the music ends, clapping her hands together while smiling at Chantel and me.
“Right? His talents are truly wasted in a beginner’s class,” Chantel replies.
I step out of her reach while Danika levels her with a warning look, and I’m glad I’m not the only one unimpressed with Chantel’s attitude towards the people who are literally paying her wage.
Excusing myself from the tense atmosphere between the sisters, I head towards where Tara has now joined Sylvia.
“You make that look so easy,” Sylvia says as soon as I’m in front of them.
I run a hand through my hair while I shrug, self conscious. “Believe me, when I first started, I had two left feet and was the cause of multiple foot injuries to my poor best friend. ”
“Well, that is definitely no longer the case. I can only hope I’ll be half as good.”
Tara has remained quiet throughout our conversation, watching me with an interested look on her face.
I feel like we’ve come to a bit of a truce since that afternoon in my flat, but I’m still not used to her looking at me like this.
Like there’s more to me than just the boss’s son she’s forced to babysit.
Rafael calls out to get ready for warm up, and we move off to our respective sides, the women falling into line behind Danika while the men line up behind Rafael.
We’ve done this enough times now to know the process, but there are still a few people struggling with the basic salsa steps that pull the teachers’ focus throughout the first few songs.
Through out the warm-up, my gaze keeps meeting Tara’s.
She smiles at me each time, but I wonder if she’s finding it weird how often I keep looking her way.
I can’t seem to stop myself though. If anyone here is a natural, it’s Tara.
Her hips sway with each step, her movements similar to those displayed by Danika and Chantel.
I force myself to concentrate on my own movements, lest I stumble and make a complete fool of myself by being distracted by the sexy woman dancing on the other side of the room.
When the warm-up is over, Anthony makes a beeline straight for Tara, and I’m surprised at the sudden urge to punch something.
Jealousy has never been something I’ve really felt before, and I don’t particularly like it.
But when he puts his hand low on her back, I can feel a growl rumble low in my chest.
“Don’t worry, Aiden. She would rather be dancing with you, as well.” I turn to see Sylvia standing at my elbow.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I reply, blushing yet again.
She smirks at me. “I’m sure you don’t.”
Knowing there’s no point in attempting to dig myself out of this little hole I’ve dug for myself, I put my hand out and pull her around to face me, putting my other hand between her shoulder blades.
I try not to look at Tara while we start to breakdown the routine further, learning the next few moves with relative ease.
Once I lead Sylvia into the second spin, Rafael announces it’s time for the women to move on to the next partner.
Before stepping to her left, Sylvia flicks her gaze back towards Tara before giving me a stern look.
“If you don’t make a move on that woman soon, young man, you are going to regret it for the rest of your life.” She waggles her fingers in a little wave while I watch her twirl on to the man next to me, stunned.
Am I really that obvious that a virtual stranger has worked out my less than professional feelings towards my assistant? And if Sylvia has noticed… What must Tara be thinking?
Once class is over, I seek Tara out before Chantel can get a hold of me. The blonde woman narrows her eyes as she watches me walk across the room, and I wonder if she’s finally getting the hint that I’m not interested in pursuing anything with her.
“Want to practice the routine for a bit?” I ask, feeling the nerves jangling away inside my stomach while I wait for her to reply.
“Sure,” she replies, sliding her hand into mine.
I pull her in closer and we wait for the song to start again before beginning to move.
She follows my lead with ease, and I have to marvel at how easily she follows my unspoken directions.
For someone who is so used to being in charge in her professional life, it’s surprising that she doesn’t fight me to lead when we’re dancing together.
I wonder in what other areas she’d be willing to let me be in charge ?
Whoa, that was highly inappropriate. But that doesn’t stop my mind from wandering… And hoping one day I’ll find out.